People travel with their pets for leisure, business, relocation and specialist care<\/a>. And while some people even travel with horses<\/a>, cats, birds or other small animals, it\u2019s dogs that dominate the leisure travel surge. For people who enjoy travelling with their pets, the benefits are real for both parties: strengthened bonds, shared experiences and opportunities to build skills and confidence.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s a growing gap between what the industry is offering and what people and pets need. As this market explodes, it\u2019s a good time to ask whether the travel industry is genuinely adapting or just coming up with superficial offerings.<\/p>\n While humans and dogs have travelled together for millennia<\/a>, today\u2019s growth reflects something distinctly modern: pets are now family members. With 40% of people<\/a> viewing their dog as their child and nearly half calling them their best friend, dogs occupy a central place in millions of UK homes.<\/p>\n During COVID restrictions<\/a>, pet acquisition surged globally. Today nearly half<\/a> of \u201cpet parents\u201d are first timers. The years since COVID emerged have seen an acceleration in the inclusion of pets<\/a> in leisure life, from dog-friendly cafes to outdoor festivals, paddleboarding and holidays.<\/p>\n Even cost-of-living pressures haven\u2019t dampened this enthusiasm. While 34% of people who have pets have altered their pet-related behaviour<\/a> due to financial pressures (changing to a cheaper brand of pet food, for example), pet travel continues to grow. UK pet families take an average of two domestic holidays every year with their animals.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where the disconnect emerges. While providers advertise \u201cpawsecco\u201d and pet spas, research has shown that people prioritise practical care<\/a> over \u201cextras\u201d.<\/p>\n Studies identify six key attributes<\/a> that people are looking for: service design (pet-friendly room placement, shared dining), activity support (walking guides, bins), safety, pet-savvy staff, transparent policies with fair fees, and lastly, amenities. This is a low priority for travellers with pets, but often what providers focus on. Crucially, green spaces<\/a> drive pet travel planning, boosting wellbeing for both human and animal. After all, this is the fundamental reason<\/a> why people choose to travel with pets.<\/p>\n Love me, love my pet<\/p>\n Yet many people with pets say they don\u2019t believe any accommodation is truly pet friendly<\/a>, signalling a trust gap. Many properties advertise as \u201cpet friendly\u201d but impose restrictions, surprise fees or go no further than simply allowing pets to stay.<\/p>\n Part of the problem seems to be one-size-fits-all thinking. Research identifies three distinct segments of people travelling with dogs. There are those seeking<\/a> basic, convenience-focused accommodation. Premium experience seekers are willing to pay for luxury. And activity-loving travellers<\/a> prioritise outdoor adventures. A chihuahua on a city break has different needs to a labrador on a hiking trip, yet many providers offer generic packages that delight no one.<\/p>\n The evidence from both researchers and industry is clear: people will pay more<\/a> to travel with their pets. For tourism providers, the opportunities are significant. For example, hotel pet fees in the UK can range from \u00a315-40 daily or \u00a320-75 per stay. Being viewed as pet friendly can drive repeat visits and brand loyalty<\/a> for travel-related providers and dining outlets<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s one area where UK travellers seem to be less enthusiastic. When it comes to overseas travel, 54% are \u201cvery unlikely\u201d<\/a> to go abroad with their pet (compared to 37% globally). Only 7% actually have plans to do so. This hesitancy is probably driven by complicated, costly regulations and rules.<\/p>\n Eurostar bans pets on its trains and UK aviation regulations effectively prohibit pets in the cabin on inbound flights<\/a>, with few airlines offering cabin options outbound. Most pets must fly as cargo in the hold, which often causes worry for their humans.<\/p>\n Brexit also ended the UK\u2019s access to the EU pet passport system, requiring expensive animal health certificates for each trip. A 2025 UK-EU agreement will eventually see the reinstatement of pet passports<\/a>, however.<\/p>\n The coast is a big draw for sea dogs and their humans. The UK dog travel market is heavily skewed towards domestic holidays, with travellers largely preferring<\/a> coastal retreats and rural escapes, prioritising walks and eating out. This presents clear opportunities for domestic providers to capture demand, and for travellers to choose more environmentally friendly, sustainable destinations closer to home<\/a>.<\/p>\n The travel industry in the UK and beyond faces a choice: continue offering superficial \u201cpet-friendly\u201d experiences or genuinely adapt and ease the stress for travellers and their pets.<\/p>\n The evidence shows that pet-centric facilities, support with activities, and attentive service outweigh add-ons. Delivering this means providing transparent online information<\/a> so travellers can assess facilities and policies<\/a> confidently, designing spaces that genuinely welcome pets, and training staff to deliver a knowledgeable service.<\/p>\n The appetite for pet travel is overwhelming and the pawprint economy represents a huge business opportunity, if accommodation, travel and leisure providers are willing to prioritise genuine pet friendliness. After all, if the hospitality industry makes pets and their people happy, they will come back for more \u2013 with smiles and tails wagging.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Luxury pet pampering packages at hotels, menus with dog-friendly roast dinners and \u00a36,000 animal-friendly charter flights. Pet travel…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[64,63,99,164],"class_list":{"0":"post-366006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-economy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"small](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/file-20251217-56-lta96f.jpg\")
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